


Transformation

by TheMomeRath



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Injury, Language, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nobody Dies, Post-High School, The 80s AU, Underage Drinking, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 13:16:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9493148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMomeRath/pseuds/TheMomeRath
Summary: Shiro, Hunk, and Lance are back from college for a break, and Shiro suggested they meet up with Pidge and Keith for a weekend getaway at his family's cabin in the woods. That goes just about as smoothly as you can expect given the phrase "cabin in the woods".





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a Cheesy 80s Horror Movie AU but I got distracted by relationships.

"You guys are _so_ lucky that I like you," Pidge said as she climbed into the car. "The Genesis came out just last weekend and I've been dying all week to play it more."

"Well, we're glad you could put aside your other priorities to hang out with us," Shiro said with a laugh. "Though I'm sure it'll be there when you get back."

"If my brother doesn't wear it out by playing it so much," she grumbled, crossing her arms. Then Shiro saw her crooked smile in the rear view mirror. "But really, though, I'm super excited to be able to go out with you guys this weekend. This trip is gonna be _so_ awesome."

"Definitely. Shiro knows how to have a good time, right?" Lance winked at the driver. The tall Cuban boy was reclined as far back as he possibly could be in the middle seat, legs spread wide and arms draped behind both Hunk and Pidge. "I've been to more than my share of frat parties with this guy."

"And if you think that we're going to be throwing a party like them, you're completely mistaken." He saw Keith nod next to him in solidarity.

"Oh." Lance shrugged. "In that case, nobody dig in my bag, because I guess I've got some things we won't be using."

Shiro hung his head and chuckled. "Damn it, Lance."

"Hey, I didn't know what to expect." He raised his hands defensively. "It's not like I haven't seen you drink before. We go to the same parties, remember?"

Keith shot a questioning glance at Shiro, and the oldest of the group nodded before replying. "Sure, but I didn't really plan on doing anything this weekend, especially given that this is a party for Pidge, not for us."

For a moment as Shiro drove forward, only the sound of “Smooth Criminal” playing in the background filled the car. Then Pidge spoke.

"I don't mind, you know."

"Mind what?"

"If someone drinks. If everyone drinks. I mean, we are staying out in the woods. It's not like the police come by a lot." A shit-eating grin plastered across her face, she added "Besides, I wouldn't mind seeing what you guys are like when you're a little bit less restrained."

Lance high fived her and smirked up at the driver. "See?"

"I guess it would be kind of fun..." Keith looked over at Shiro once again for approval.

Debating for a few seconds, Shiro shrugged. "We don't all get time to ourselves very often. So, sure." Just as Lance took a deep breath, obviously preparing for a whoop of excitement, the oldest held up one hand. "But it will be very responsible."

"All right!" Hunk laughed. "Don't worry, Pidge, we'll take care of you."

"Unless I end up taking care of you," she replied, pointing finger guns at him. Laughter filled the car, and Shiro looked over to the passenger seat to see even Keith shaking his head and smiling.

"It's really good to see you again,” he said softly enough for only Keith to hear, reaching over to squeeze his close friend's shoulder.

Keith turned and his eyes softened as he looked back at Shiro. "It's good to have you back."

* * *

 

After an hour of driving followed by _another_ half an hour of driving down a winding gravel road (all the while listening to Lance sing along to every single song that came on the radio, even as the songs started to fade out, interrupted by more and more static), Shiro finally turned off onto the cabin driveway, a narrow uphill path that, in the spots where it wasn’t giant piles of upturned dirt, was grown over with grass and weeds.

Lance, who was bracing himself against the seat, spoke up first as the van rocked on the uneven terrain. "This place better have electricity."

"And a full kitchen," Hunk added.

"Come on, guys. Like I would take you somewhere without electricity." Shiro slowed his driving for a moment to go around an especially deep divot in the marshy ground. "There are power lines out on the road. It's the country, not the boonies."

"I'll add that to the lost of words I never thought I'd hear you say," Lance remarked. "And it's not so much that I don't trust your taste. I just don't believe in the power company really doing their best out here."

"That's fair." Shiro nodded. "But don't worry, there's power here. My parents wouldn't have bought this cabin otherwise. Plus, there’s a generator just in case the power goes out." He shifted the car into park. "And now that we're here, I'll let Hunk decide if the kitchen is up to his standards."

“I was just joking!” Hunk protested weakly as the crew of five piled out of the car. “Mostly. Well, not really. I really like working in a nice kitchen.”

Keith whistled as they walked up toward the cabin door. “I like it. Definitely has a rustic feel.”

Shiro stuck his key in the deadbolt at the front of the door. “My parents have a thing for adirondack designs.” He turned the key and pushed the door open. “This cabin is built to last— it’s all about sturdiness.”

The others saw exactly what he meant when they stepped through the door and Shiro flicked the lightswitch.

“Hot damn,” exhaled. “There’s actually running water.”

Pidge shoved between Hunk and Keith and barreled past Lance straight toward the steep staircase that led to the loft. “I get to claim a bed first!”

“Oh, yeah, by the way,” Shiro said, watching Pidge’s ascent, “there really aren’t many beds in here, so someone will probably have to take the couch.”

“Well, it looks like I’d better not let that be me,” Lance said, lunging toward the ladder and following Pidge up to the loft. “There’s got to be another bed up there, right?”

Shiro had just nodded and confirmed that there were, in fact, three beds up on the upper level (which was pretty much only built for sleeping anyway) when Keith spoke up.

“I’ll take the couch,” he offered. “It’ll be pretty cool to be able to look out the window at night.”

Having just thrown his stuff up over the ledge of the loft, Hunk looked over toward the couch. “Oh, wow.”

“What, did I miss something?” Lance peeked his head over the edge. “Aside from getting an actual bed, since I obviously didn’t miss that—” He swung his legs down and jumped from the loft to the floor, landing in a crouch. “Unless the couch is really extra comfortable.”

Shiro shook his head and shot an apologetic look at Keith. “It’s not the most comfortable place to sleep, but it definitely does have the best views in the house.” Which was definitely no exaggeration.

The cabin was small, meant more for quiet, intimate getaways than huge get-togethers, and the layout inside really showed that. The kitchen and main gathering room were only separated by a thin counter, but it was immediately clear what the main focus in the house was. An enormous picture window took up almost the whole wall, looking south on a steep decline and what appeared to be unending forest and hills. With the sun just beginning to set, the trees seemed to glow under the light.

“Yeah, it’s definitely one of my favorite things about this place,” Shiro remarked. “And with the way the window is facing, you get to see both the sunrise _and_ the sunset, just on opposite ends of the window.” And even though it had been a year since he graduated high school, Shiro definitely remembered that Keith was a softie for a gorgeous sunset.

“Well, luckily for me, I don’t have to wake up with the sun in my face.” Lance stretched his arms above his head, standing on his tiptoes. “Shit, that was a long car ride. I’m kinda hungry now.”

Hunk’s face split into a wide grin. “Looks like it’s my time to shine.”

* * *

 

After giving a brief tour of the kitchen to the exuberant Hunk, Shiro left Pidge and Lance to be his company and assistants, silently hoping that Hunk would be able to curb their ability to feed off each other’s energy and would keep them from setting the cabin on fire.

Meanwhile, he followed Keith to where he had gone outside on the deck that wrapped around the side of the house the window was on. He found him sitting just past the view of the window and set a hand down on the back of Keith’s chair, causing him to jump. “Jesus!” he yelped. “I didn’t think anyone was going to come out here!”

“Sorry about that,” Shiro laughed. “Mind if I join you for a bit?”

“No, that’s fine.” Keith gestured toward the other chair, then blushed, realizing that Shiro definitely knew the layout of the cabin. “It’s really pretty out here,” he said, trying and failing to cover up his embarrassment.

“It really is.” Shiro took a seat next to Keith, looking out over the hilly landscape. When they had arrived and the sun had just started to set, the autumn trees had taken on a golden hue, but now with the vibrant colors spreading across the sky, the trees seemed to glow all the more. Opposite the glowing sunset, on the other edge of the horizon, enormous thunderheads rose high above the hills, their dark undersides inching closer as the night moved on.

“Thanks for letting everyone come out here this weekend,” Keith said after a few moments of silent observation. “It's been way too long since we've all seen each other.”

“I'm glad you could come. I’ve missed you while I’ve been at school.”

“Yeah, me too.” Keith sighed. “It’s been lonely with all of you gone. Even Pidge is busy most of the time with her clubs and stuff like that. I kind of wish I’d have been able to go off to school after graduation like all of you, because at least then I’d have some kind of stories to share.”

“What _have_ you been up to since you graduated?” Shiro prompted. “I know that after I left, you were pretty unsure about things after—”

“After my dad, yeah.” Keith closed his eyes and slid down the back of the chair a bit, legs sticking far off the edge of the seat. “I’m okay now, by the way. Before you ask.” Shiro eyed him concernedly, which keith saw when he opened his eyes again. “I miss him a whole hell of a lot. But things are better now.” He sat back up in his chair again and propped himself up with his elbows on his knees. “It was nice to have you around for the last couple months after he died, but after you left for college, it was definitely harder.” He laughed almost bitterly. “Senior year was absolute shit.”

“But you graduated in May, right?”

Keith nodded. “I wasn’t about to take my last year of high school off or something, even if everything was really awful. So I finished high school this spring. I just… didn’t want to leave mom alone. She took it even harder than I did.”

Shiro nodded. “But you said you’re doing better? It’s been, what, six months since graduation?”

“Yeah, that’s about right. I’ve been at home mostly, between that and work. They hired me at the Karate studio, actually, as a trainer, which is cool.” Keith grinned suddenly. “I like working with some of the younger kids. They’re hilarious to watch.”

Shiro chuckled. “I imagine so.”

They watched a strong wind blow across the valley, bending some of the treetops just a bit as it pushed the thunderheads closer.

Keith spoke again. “I’ve got a bit of money saved up now, after working senior year and this past summer. I’m trying to decide whether I want to transfer into a school before second semester or stay at home to help mom out more. I know she likes having me around, but she wants more for me. And honestly, so do I.”

“That’s amazing!” Shiro beamed. “I’m proud of how far you’ve come since I left to go to school.”

Keith smirked. “You’re only a year ahead of me, you know. You can ease up on the pseudo-dad thing.”

Laughing, Shiro winked at him. “I can still be proud of my best friend, right?” Keith smiled at him, and he stood. “With that rain coming in so quickly, we should probably head inside. Don’t want to get soaked.” Keith nodded and followed his advice.

When they got back inside the cabin, they found Lance and Hunk in a heated discussion in the kitchen next to several grocery bags full of half-unpacked food.

“What’s up with them?” Keith asked Pidge, who was sitting on a barstool at the counter.

“They’re having a debate about junk food, or something.”

“Ah.” Keith leaned over the counter to look at what was on the stove. “Looks like Hunk got some cooking done, at least. Who’s winning the argument?”

Pidge shrugged. “I don’t know about them, but I ate all the Reese’s pieces while they were busy, so I kinda think I did.”

Keith’s snort of laughter was more than enough to alert the other two to their presence and bring an end to the debate and the start of dinner.

* * *

 

After dinner (and a little bit more persuading Shiro that it was okay), it was decided that it was a reasonable time to bring out Lance’s smuggled goods. He emerged triumphantly from the loft holding one bottle of Malibu and one bottle of Vodka.

“Your taste has improved since high school,” Shiro remarked ad Lance handed the glass bottles down to them.

Lance made a face. “As if I would keep drinking the awful piss high schoolers call a good time.” He shuddered dramatically. “I’m not gonna make anyone else endure that shit as long as I’m still breathing.”

Pidge slid the bottle of Vodka from Shiro’s hand. “So, what, do you just drink this straight, or…?”

Keith shrugged. “You could.”

“But we won’t,” Lance said, smoothly descending the stairs to rescue the bottle from Pidge’s inexperienced grasp. “I’m going to make you a drink you’ll never forget.”

Hunk shot the refrigerator a sidelong glance. “We only have a few kinds of soda and two types of liquor.”

Shiro set the other bottle down on the counter. “I think by default, since it’s Pidge’s first drink, it’s kind of one she can’t forget.”

“I didn’t say it was going to be the _best_ ever, but thanks for stealing my thunder,” Lance pouted. “At least you can testify that I’m an expert bartender.”

“Yeah, that’s right, I heard Lance say you go to the same parties,” Pidge remarked. “Is that true?”

“We do go to the same school,” Shiro replied, pulling a few bottles of Coke and Sprite from the fridge. “Plus, since Lance is still into cheer, our circles tend to overlap a little bit.”

Pidge’s eyes widened as she looked back to Lance. “You still do cheerleading?” she asked incredulously.

“I mean, why wouldn’t I be? All the girls love me,” he said with a smirk. “Plus, I get invited to the cool parties.” He took over for Shiro at the counter, and within a minute, he’d poured out five drinks. He offered one of them to Pidge. “I’ll let you have the first sip.”

Pidge held the glass nervously while everyone went for their own. “What’s in it?”

“This first one is pretty standard, honestly. Malibu and Coke. I’m a bit limited by what I could fit in my suitcase, but,” he shrugged, “it’s not a bad start.”

Lifting the glass timidly, Pidge took a sip. She raised an eyebrow. “That’s better than I expected.”

“That’s because Malibu,” Lance replied, lifting his glass, “is the shit.”

* * *

Halfway through her first drink, Lance had whispered to Shiro that he'd halved the amount of alcohol in Pidge’s first cup. Shiro had been a little surprised, because from what he remembered from school, Lance was a little bit less controlled when he was mixing, but he thanked him anyway.

Not that it mattered in the long run, of course. Very quickly, Pidge had passed up Keith in the number of drinks they’d had, and seemed all the more eager to seek out some more drink variety. Keith offered to make her next drink (which, after a bit of questioning, was revealed to be her third).

“I still can't believe you ate all the Reeses,” Lance lamented, sprawled out across the floor. “I had my eye on them all day!”

“You just weren't watching when it counted!” Pidge retorted jovially. “Gotta keep your eyes on the prize!”

A sudden burst of thunder startled her and she jumped up from the couch quickly, eliciting a laugh from Hunk, who had been sitting in an armchair, looking very relaxed. “Looks like someone's a bit jumpy tonight!”

Pidge reddened. “At least I can still stand up.”

“Hey, I can stand,” Lance objected. “there's just no reason to.”

“Except for the fact that you're really in the way,” Keith said, stepping over him and bringing a foot mere inches from his face. When Lance swore and twisted out of the way, Keith laughed and handed Pidge her next drink. “You're fine. I've got enough space on the couch.”

Pidge eyed the glass she’d just been handed. “This looks different.”

“Well, it's Sprite, not Coke, so there's a start,” Keith replied, leaning back into the couch between the girl and Shiro, who had stretched his arm across the back of the couch. Bumping his head against Shiro’s bicep, he angled himself a little into Shiro’s side. “Mmm, you're warm.”

Shiro looked at him in surprise. Not that he didn't like having Keith sitting so close to him— he found himself moving his arm a little lower, suddenly very grateful that he hadn't said no to Lance’s idea of drinking. “Yeah?”

“Mm-hmm.” Keith snuggled into him and closed his eyes. Across the room, Hunk eyed the two of them, raising a questioning eyebrow, to which Shiro shook his head. Hunk nodded and went back to sipping his drink.

It wasn't too long until a conversation came up about school. Hunk was off at a culinary institute (which was a surprise to no one, given his love for being the host for everyone at all their get togethers). Lance was off at university strongly disliking his business major but definitely enjoying the art classes that let him draw naked ladies all the time, though he claimed to have gotten really good at the drawing. Shiro went to the same school as Lance, though he confessed he hadn't decided on a major yet. “He’s a pretty damn good football captain though,” Lance interjected at one point.

Pidge would graduate in a year and a half from high school, but she knew for a fact that she wanted to work for IBM someday. “They built a robot a couple years ago that could lift eggs from their carton. Without breaking them.” She almost looked like she was about to start drooling. “I have enough trouble keeping eggs in one piece!” she shouted, lifting both arms in the air and nearly spilling her drink.

Lance looked like he was about to ask Keith what he was doing when he noticed the other boy curled up into Shiro’s side. “Awh, aren't you two cute,” he said, a teasing tone in his voice.

Keith immediately sat up, visibly sobered and suddenly uncomfortable. He quickly ran his hand down the back of his head to smooth out his somewhat mussed hair. “I was just a bit tired. And cold.”

“There is more floor space, you know,” Lance offered. “Though I'm less inclined to cuddle you than you might like.”

“Shut up,” Keith mumbled, leaning forward.

When he didn't lean back against Shiro again, the older male reluctantly pulled his arm from behind Keith back to his side. “If anyone else is cold, we can get the fireplace started. The woodshed is just around the other side of the house.”

Keith immediately stood, his limp hand pulling away from Shiro’s thigh and leaving him suddenly cold and very concerned. “I can go grab wood. I saw it earlier when I went outside.”

“You sure?” Shiro stood as well. “It's raining pretty hard by now.”

“I can bring my jacket to keep it from getting wet.” He reached for his bag at Pidge’s end of the couch and quickly pulled out the red jacket he’d worn all throughout high school. “I’ll be back in a bit.” He forced a smile and left swiftly, pulling the front door shut with a heavy slam.

“Shit, what’s up with him?” Lance asked, sitting up from the floor. “He seemed okay earlier.”

Shiro sighed. “Maybe you should calm down with teasing him.”

“I didn’t do all that much!” the other boy protested.

“Yeah, but he put up with more than his fair share back in high school.” Shiro sat back down again. “You remember what he used to have to deal with. I’m sure it’s just a hard reminder of that.”

Lance lowered his head. “Well, shit. I’ll apologize when he gets back.”

Shiro was about to confirm that that was a good idea when a burst of lightning was quickly followed by the lights suddenly going out.

Aside from a surprised yelp by the noticeably more inebriated Pidge (Shiro took a mental note to have Keith mix him a drink sometime), the group remained silent for a short while, listening to the sound of the heavy rain mixed with the occasional howl of a wolf or coyote from outside..

“Well, shit.” Shiro finally said. “Hang on and I’ll go find a flashlight.”

He stood and made his way cautiously around the mess of limbs that was Lance to the kitchen, where he started digging through the cupboard for the flashlight his family kept for emergencies. Ignoring the chatter from the living room, and careful to avoid knocking over any glassware, he finally felt the shaft of the blue flashlight and drew it from the cupboard, turning it on just in time to shine it in the eyes of Keith, who had shoved the door open roughly.

“Shit!” Keith yelled, squinting. “Watch where you’re pointing that!”

“The power’s out!” Hunk offered from the other side of the room.

“Yeah, I kind of noticed.” Following Shiro’s light, Keith walked into the living room carefully, setting the wood next to the fireplace. “Any chance we’ll see it come back on anytime soon?”

“Probably not,” Shiro replied sheepishly. “Being that there aren’t all that many people out here, it’s not really a priority to fix downed power lines. Especially during storms.” He shone the flashlight into the fireplace so Keith could work on lighting the few pieces of wood. “So unless it was just a power surge, chances are we’ll be without power for a while.”

“Well, at least we’ve got a fire going!” Hunk said enthusiastically. Shiro glanced back toward Keith, who had somehow started a few of the scraps of wood aflame. “So we’ll be warm tonight.”

“Also, I’m pretty sure Shiro said there was a generator outside,” Keith added. “It’s storming pretty bad, but I guess I could go out there and try to fix it if Shiro can show me where _that_ is.” He reached up and felt his hair. “I’m wet already, so it makes sense that I go.”

“So, I can have the flashlight, right?” Hunk asked hopefully.

“We’ve got the fire, bro,” Lance whispered. “They don’t.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Shiro pointed to the cupboard. “There should be another one in there if you want it,” he said as he slipped into his shoes. “Hopefully the batteries still work.”

A few seconds later, Shiro and Keith were outside, walking around the back side of the cabin.

“The generator should be... There, under that cover.” Shiro pointed the flashlight toward the cabin, indicating a covered enclosure jutting from the side of the cabin. The pair jogged toward it, their shoes getting soggier with each step through the drenched autumn leaves, and Shiro lifted the cover off. He heaved a sigh of relief. Not that he really expected it to have gone somewhere, but it was definitely pleasing to see it sitting there.

“So… We just start it, right? And the power is back on?”

Shiro nodded. “Should be.” He leaned down to try to flip the initial power switch, then gestured for keith to hold the cover for the enclosure. With Keith holding the roof, Shiro braced one arm against the handle on the generator and pulled as hard as he could on the pull cord. After two pulls, his heart sank.

Sensing something wasn’t right, Keith spoke “What’s wrong?”

“Last person to use this didn’t fill it up with fuel.” Shiro stepped back from the generator. “I know there’s a jug inside. We can go back in and grab it.”

Keith nodded. “You go ahead. I’ll wait here.”

Shiro began jogging back toward the front door, shaking himself off briefly as he walked inside. Curtly answering the few questions the others had about why the power wasn’t back on, he grabbed the fuel canister from underneath the kitchen sink and turned to open the door to go outside.

That was when he heard Keith scream.

He bolted through the door immediately, dropping the gasoline canister right outside and grabbing a hefty broom that was leaning against the wall on the front porch. He sprinted around the corner to see Keith on the ground wrestling with what looked to be a wolf.

“Keith!” He screamed and charged toward his friend, holding the push broom like a jousting lance. As soon as he was right up next to Keith, he brought it down hard on the wolf’s back, eliciting a yelp from the creature before it darted away.

Writhing in agony on the ground, Keith didn’t look like he was in any condition to answer Shiro’s questions, so Shiro picked up the flashlight, then leaned down to help Keith up to his feet.

“Careful,” Keith muttered. “It got my shoulder.”

Shiro braced Keith with an arm under his ribcage, juggling the broom over his other shoulder so he could hold everything at once. They scrambled toward the house, only stopping once they passed through the front door. Leaning Keith gently against the counter, Shiro closed the door behind him immediately and threw the bolt shut.

“What happened?” Lance almost shouted. “You nearly gave us all heart attacks!”

“Keith got attacked by a wolf,” Shiro replied, sliding Keith onto a barstool so the injured boy could rest his back against the edge of the counter. “Lance, I need you here, _stat_.”

As soon as he heard that his friend was injured, Lance had already started moving. “Is it bad?”

“I haven’t looked yet,” Shiro said, handing him the flashlight. He saw Keith wince and leaned in to offer him more support. “Keith, you doing okay?”

Keith pulled his hand away from his shoulder and make an a-ok sign. “Just peachy.” When the three saw the blood on his fingers, Lance swore, and Keith inhaled deeply. “Shit.”

“I’m gonna need you to take your shirt off,” Lance ordered.

Keith started to comply, muttering objections as he did so. Lance only replied to one of them. “I’ve done enough helping with injuries on the cheer squad to be at least capable of helping you a bit, so shut up and get that shirt off.”

As soon as the bloodied tee was removed, Keith handed it to Shiro, who balled it up tight and held it between two clenched fists. Lance pointed the flashlight at Keith’s shoulder and Keith winced from the sudden light in his eyes. “It’s like everyone wants to blind me or something.”

“Yeah, either that or we really want to see you.” Gently reaching for Keith, he indicated for Shiro to grab a towel, which he did, pulling one of the dish towels from the oven. Lance looked at him in confusion before shiro nodded, giving him permission to use it.

Lance dabbed gently at the wound with one corner of the towel, then frowned. “It’s deep, but honestly, you’re lucky it didn’t do more damage. What the fuck happened?”

“I was just waiting for Shiro to come back with gas when I saw the eyes in the woods.” Shiro heard Keith’s explanation as he walked into the bathroom to grab rubbing alcohol from the cupboard. “I tried to throw something to distract it, but it must have been drawn to the light or something, because it jumped me and knocked the flashlight away, and I couldn’t do anything because it had pinned me down.” Lance raised an eyebrow as he dabbed one of the extra towels Shiro had grabbed with rubbing alcohol, and Keith let out an exasperated sigh before flinching from the movement. “It was heavy! I was completely immobilized!”

“It was pretty big,” Shiro confirmed, flinching in sympathy as he watched Keith bite his lip, trying to keep from crying out as Lance cleaned out the wound. “I smacked it with a broom, but I was definitely afraid of what it was going to do to me if that didn’t scare it off.”

“Well, you’re both lucky it left when it did,” Lance replied, setting down the flashlight to tear strips from the towel Siro had given him. “Keith, I’m gonna bandage this up for right now, so hang on to something.”

Shiro felt a hand brush against his arm, then move down to his own hand, and then he felt Keith squeeze. He recognized that it would have been almost cute if Keith wasn’t in so much pain, then he felt the pressure as Keith squeezed his hand. Hard. He almost shouted, but held it in as Keith cried out instead.

“How long have you been good at first aid?” Pidge asked incredulously from the living room. “I thought you were a business major.”

“With some art on the side,” Lance corrected. “And I had to learn back in high school, when the coach would ask me to help wrap sprains and stuff like that.” He wound another length of towel tight around Keith’s shoulder. “Lift your other arm— there.” Tying it off on the side opposite the injury, he picked up the flashlight again. “That should be okay for right now. But we need to get you to a hospital.”

“Yeah, um. I already tried to call,” Hunk said quietly. “The phone’s not working.”

“God _damn_ it,” Shiro cursed, balling the hand that Keith wasn’t holding into a fist. “A fallen tree must have taken out both a phone line and a power line.” He sighed. “At least I can drive you to there.”

“Want us all to come?” Pidge asked.

Shiro was about to respond that they may as well pack up, since everything had all gone so badly wrong, when they heard the sound of rapid footsteps and the yipping and barking of wolves just outside.

“Looks like we’re gonna have to stay for a while,” Keith said. He picked up the bottle of vodka from the counter and held it in the air briefly with his non-injured arm before taking a hearty swig. “Yay for parties.”

* * *

 

Hours later, as the full moon climbed toward then passed the peak of its arc high up above the valley, the five vacationers remained in the cabin. Even though Shiro had volunteered to keep watch that night, everyone agreed that they wouldn't be getting much sleep— that is, aside from Keith, who had very quickly passed out on the couch, probably from a mix of alcohol and plain exhaustion.

Lance eyed him enviously. “If I hadn't seen the bite, I'd almost be jealous of him right now.”

“You know, you CAN sleep,” Pidge replied from where she sat cross-legged in front of the fire. “Nobody's going to stop you.”

“Except for those dumbass wolves?” Lance jitter his thumb toward the wall. “if they keep running into the walls like that—” As if to illustrate his statement, they heard another couple slams as the creatures rammed into the thick wooden walls of the cabin in their frenzy— “Nobody's going to get any kind of relaxation.”

Hunk slouched in his seat at the counter. “So we’re just waiting it out, right? An all-nighter, just like the old times?” He glanced over at Keith, whose sleeping expression still looked rather pained. “Well, sort of like old times.”

“So, the all nighter of our lives,” Lance suggested.

“I think you mean an all nighter for our lives,” Pidge amended.

“Same thing!” Lance threw his hands up exasperatedly. “Wait, does that even make sense?”

“I dunno.” Pidge shrugged, her body illuminated just enough by the fire for the gesture to be seen. “Does it matter?”

Lance looked like he was about to reply, but paused. “No. No, it does not.”

Shiro lowered himself onto the ground in front of the couch. “I'm sorry, guys. I didn't intend for the weekend to go like this.” He leaned backward, careful not to jostle Keith too much. “I was really hoping for just a fun time where we could all catch up.”

“We still did catch up, you know,” came Hunk’s optimistic reply. “I mean, we also got trapped in a cabin with no power supply and an injured friend.”

“You're not wrong,” Shiro said with a grimace. He felt Keith stir behind him, moaning quietly, and he stiffened, but relaxed when he didn't wake. “I just feel bad that all of you are stuck here like this.”

Lance shrugged. “It's rough, but we can go back tomorrow morning when it's calmed down outside, right?” A sudden thunderclap made Keith bolt upright, grunting and clutching his injured shoulder.

Shiro sighed. “When things have calmed down, yeah. For now, though, we just need to make sure we stay safe.”

Suddenly alert, Keith peered out the window, clutching his shoulder with a look of pain on his face, the knife in his hand held at the ready. “We’ll be okay. There’s no way they’re getting in without one of us seeing.”

Shiro nodded in agreement. “It’s not like the cabin is huge or something. We can keep a watch on all the windows and make sure none of the wolves break through.”

Lance squirmed nervously. “Ri-ight. So, since I’ve done my part now, I’m gonna keep watch in the bathroom.” He inched away from the group, eyeing the wooden door to the interior room. “Just in case, you know. Water, Or something.”

“Nu-uh, buddy,” Hunk replied, casually lifting him and setting him next to Shiro. “Bathroom doesn’t have any outside entrances. You’re staying here with us.”

Lance looked markedly disappointed. After having seen the deep tears on Keith's shoulder, Shiro honestly didn't blame him. Honestly, after seeing just how huge the wolf was that had taken Keith down, he was kind of ready to cower in the bathroom as well. “We’ll be okay,” he affirmed. Even though everyone else nodded, voicing assent and false confidence, he knew he had said it mostly for his own encouragement.

* * *

 

It was a full hour later that they heard the wolves finally stop circling, howling and yipping and they ran off into the night, but once the terror had finally passed, they knew they needed to move. Even if Keith was doing relatively okay.

“So, not that I don’t trust you, but I think it’s safe to assume that since the rain has calmed down since yesterday, there’s a possibility the flooding from this morning has gone down, so we could get out of here tonight, yeah?” Lance prompted.

“We’d have to check down by the car, but I think we could manage going down to check,” Shiro acknowledged. “It might take some work to get it moving again though, because it was pretty deep in mud this morning.”

Keith looked over, an almost almost wistful look on his face as he looked over at the non-working phone that hung on the wall. They’d attempted calling for help a few more times throughout the night, leaning on the hope that it had somehow started working, but not even a dial tone issued from the receiver. “It’s not like we’ve got a better plan,” he said quietly. “I bet we could make it back if we tried.”

Shiro nodded. “I’ll need someone to come out to the car with me to try to help me push it onto some solid ground, then.”

Lance volunteered, sticking his hand out. “I’ve got two good shoulders. I can help if you need.” Keith shot him a dirty look, but looked resigned to not being the one to go out and do any of the heavy labor.

Shiro grabbed the second flashlight and handed it to Lance, and the pair headed for the door immediately. “We’ll be back soon,” he assured before closing the door behind him.

The November air was ridiculously cold, and the thought crossed Shiro's mind that there was a chance that things might frost overnight. Which would mean that the mud would be much easier to drive over in the morning.

As he stuck the key in the ignition and turned the van to neutral, he found himself wishing that that was how it would work. It would be so much faster to just drive over some big chunks of dirt than deal with tires spinning out in the mud.

“You ready?” he asked Lance upon joining him behind the van. Lance nodded, pulling his hands from his sweatshirt pocket and bracing himself against the back of the van. “One… Two… Three… Push!”

They tried several times, feeling the van give way a little more each time, but not enough to get it onto dry ground. Shiro was prepared to suggest the go in and grab Hunk as well when an idea struck. “I'm going to go grab some branches and put then under the tires so maybe the car can get some traction.”

“Go for it.” Lance shot him a thumbs up, and Shiro walked off the edge of the overgrown driveway and began searching the ground for sticks he could use.

He heard Lance pacing a few feet away and could see the beam of the other flashlight moving in the shadows of his own flashlight beam.

When he'd gathered an armload of branches, he turned his focus away from the ground and toward the woods. The wind howled on overhead, and Lance’s footsteps were still definitely audible.

 _Wait._ Shiro looked back to Lance, whose flashlight had frozen in place, pointed the other direction, and he realized that he wasn't hearing Lance’s steps.

Slowly, carefully, so as to not scare whatever creature was moving around in the woods, he turned again and moved his flashlight.

Yellow.

Yellow eyes.

“Lance.” He saw the other teen’s flashlight beam point past him and shouted as soon as it shone on the crouching frame of a wolf. “Lance, _RUN!_ ”

He didn't have to shout twice, as Lance had already seen the creature and booked it down the driveway toward the cabin, leaving Shiro alone with the creature.

Backing away slowly, Shiro made sure with every step that he tested the ground gently to prevent any sudden noises. The creature obviously could see him already, golden eyes following his every move, but he didn't want to risk startling it.

After what seemed like an eternity of slow movement in the darkness, trying not to take the flashlight beam off the wolf, he finally craned his neck to see how close he was to the vehicle. _Still too far to make a run for it._

He looked back at the wolf, who still stood completely still mere meters away from him. The thought crossed his kind that maybe it was injured, and that's why it wasn't chasing him. That didn't really offer him any consolation, though, because he knew wolves usually moved in packs. There had to be more than one. _But where are they?_

“SHIRO!”

The wolf's head perked up at the shout and it looked in the direction of the cabin. _Keith. Shit._

“SHIRO, I'M COMING.”

The wolf took a step away from Shiro, the first movement he'd seen it make, and he realized from the flashlight beam jogging around the area that Keith was running toward them. “NO!” he shouted back. “Stay where you are!”

That was when the sound of barking came from behind him. And from his left. And his right.

He swung the flashlight beam around and realized that he had been completely surrounded while he'd been focused on the single wolf right in front of him.

If his heart had was racing before, it felt ready to explode now. Even though he could hear Keith running full speed toward him, the fact that the wolves around him were moving, starting to circle, still _watching_ him— he found himself suddenly frozen. _I don't want to die._ Maybe he did have better chances with someone else with him, but… Keith— Keith was already hurt. He shouldn't be risking himself like this.

As Keith neared, he started yelling, as loud as he could, voice jarring with every pound of his feet against the ground. Shiro snapped his gaze toward Keith and stared in confusion. Running full speed, his friend only let up shouting to take a breath.

The wolves started to react the closer he got. Backing off, seemingly as confused as Shiro, they slowly moved backwards and away from the intimidating source of the loud noise that was approaching them. One by one, they darted off into the woods once again, leaving Shiro standing in the woods thirty feet off the driveway.

Keith continued to shout until the last wolf ran off, leaving the pair alone in the darkness, at which point, he doubled over in a coughing fit.

“Holy shit.” Shiro hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath. “What the hell was that?!”

Keith looked up at him and gave him a pained smile. “Just saving your ass.” He coughed again, his whole body obviously shaken. “Fuck.”

“You okay?”

“Aside from having just destroyed my throat and having nearly lost a chunk of my shoulder to a wolf?” He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and flinched. “Could be better. Ah—” Clutching at his ribcage, he looked up at Shiro again. “Yeah, no, I'm not good.”

“Can— Can I help you out at all?” Shiro took a step closer. “Here, let's go back inside—”

“No!” The adamant response was somewhat shocking, and Shiro took a stunned step backwards again. Keith stared at him, fear in his eyes. “No, I can't. I don't know what's going on inside me right now but I can't go back inside because I can't _move_.”

Shiro immediately rejected this. “I can carry you!”

Keith shook his head. “I think something happened when that wolf bit me.” He swallowed. “I feel like… like I'm not myself.”

“That's it, we’re going inside and you're going to lay down,” Shiro replied firmly. “And I'm going to get you to the hospital as soon as we can get the van moving.”

Keith looked like he was about to protest, but his body didn’t let him. With a sharp gasp, he doubled over in pain again, clutching his injured shoulder. "Shiro, just— Stay away. Please. I'm— Something’s happening. I might be dangerous." His eyes were pleading, begging Shiro not to step any closer as the deep, rich blues flickered and morphed into the ghastly yellows that the wolves' eyes had been.

"I'm not leaving," Shiro said forcefully, though he felt himself growing unsure with each growing moment. Had Keith’s eyes actually changed, or was he just imagining it? "You're going to be okay."

Keith squeezed his eyes shut tight, bowing his head in resignation, then stumbling backward again as another spasm shook his body. "Ah—!" He gasped in shock, staring down at the claws that had replaced his fingernails, and looked up at Shiro again. "Please, I— I don't want you to get hurt!"

Fur had begun to sprout from his pale skin, which under the glow of the light from the full moon looked like just like a dark shadow that slowly inched over his frame, hiding Keith's familiar features from sight.

Shiro was afraid, more than he had been earlier that night when he'd seen the torn and bloodied shirt when Keith came inside. But he knew one thing: he would not leave. This was his Keith, the boy who had grown with him, who had stood by him even when Shiro said he was leaving for college, and who welcomed him back warmly whenever he returned home. The same Keith that Shiro had stood by long ago in high school when the rumour had started to spread that Keith wasn't like the other guys. The same Keith that Shiro had had so many dreams about holding.

He wasn't nearly ready to let those dreams go. Not just yet.

"I'm staying right here," he said, even though he was shaking. He could feel his pulse racing, his heart pounding in his ribcage, and he was immensely glad for the darkness that hid his shaking. "You're going to be fine, Keith."

The other boy doubled over again, and Shiro could hear the seams on Keith's t-shirt popping as his back arched and clothes tore with the shift. He wanted to take a step back, to run away immediately, because holy _fuck_ this was worse than any nightmare he’d had, but he knew he couldn't. He'd already promised.

He watched as Keith moved, completely aware of what must have been agonizing, but didn't know whether he should step forward and try to comfort him or not. But when any human sounds of pain disappeared, replaced with heavy panting, Shiro finally took a step forward. "Keith...?"

Eyes that were no longer any shade of human flashed up to meet his gaze, the yellow glow immediately immobilizing him. He could see the puffs of air, foggy bursts from Keith's muzzle that stood out under the bright full moon.

"Can— Can you hear me?" He  twitched as Keith, now fully canine, took a step toward him. "Keith? It's me— Shiro—"

Suddenly, he found himself flat on the ground, the air forced from his lungs by the impact, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that the wolf was on top of him, staring intently down at his face.

"Keith? Are you still... in there?" He  found himself speaking in a whisper, afraid to be any louder. Gently and cautiously, he moved his right hand from the forest floor toward the wolf's muzzle. "I'm going to touch you." He paused, biting his lower lip. "Don't freak out, okay?"

The wolf gave no indication that Shiro's words were understood, but Shiro started moving his hand again. Slowly, cautiously, his palm came to rest on the side of the wolf's neck, fingers brushing against surprisingly thick and soft fur. He felt the muscles under his touch tense, then slowly relax. "Keith, please. It's just me."

The wolf's eyes closed, and Shiro took this as a sign to continue, so he placed his hand directly in front of the creature's muzzle, closing his eyes and silently hoping that somehow, the beast would recognize his scent. If he failed, he didn't want to see anything. He didn't want to watch if Keith turned on him. If he had lost all trace of being human. Of being Keith. He felt two, three warm puffs of air against his cold fingers, then something wet. Was that—?

He opened his eyes, and when he saw the wolf's tongue lapping against his hand, he immediately felt his eyes fill with tears. "Keith." He leaned up, wrapping his arms around the neck of the wolf, who was still Keith deep down inside. "I knew it." He felt tears rolling down his face, and he smiled, rubbing his face against the soft wolf pelt. "I knew you were in there."

The full moon obscured itself behind a cloud, and as the night wore on, Shiro listened for and felt Keith’s heart, scratching and rubbing the fur on Keith’s neck and back, hoping to hear the erratic rhythm finally quiet, holding Keith while he waited for the boy he loved to come back to him, and praying that they would be safe from the wolves if they returned.

* * *

 

When the moon fell and the sun finally began to creep over the horizon, Shiro found himself no longer clutching a warm wolf pelt but the shivering frame of his half-naked friend. He hadn't realized they'd fallen asleep, and he definitely didn't know for how long, but he _did_ know they needed to get back.

Offering Keith his jacket to wrap around his waist, since his pants and shirt had both been torn and ruined during his transition, they walked back to the house, exhausted but alive.

Pidge nearly screamed when she saw Shiro walk through the door, Keith hanging exhaustedly over his shoulder. "HOLY FUCK, GUYS, I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" The other two in the cabin looked completely shocked to see them.

Shiro shook his head. "I thought I was too, honestly." He saw Hunk approaching, and somewhere between blinking and opening his eyes again,  he felt himself sandwiched in a very enthusiastic hug from Hunk along with the very weary Keith. "Careful, there, Hunk," he strained. "Keith's had a rough night."

“Oh, right; sorry, buddy.” Hunk pulled away and gently patted Keith’s head. “Glad you made it.” Shiro helped him gently to one of the barstools so he could sit without assistance.

“Why the hell are you naked?” Lance asked, suspicion creeping into his voice. “I know you’re into Shiro and all, but was it really a good time—”

“I'm not naked!” Keith's face reddened as he gestured at some of the torn and stretched remnants of his shirt. “My clothes just got wrecked. There were…”

“More wolves,” Shiro finished. “He's lucky he made it out alive.” Internally, his heart started racing again. _Shit, he's actually into me. That wasn't just the alcohol._ He made a mental note to talk to him in private about that later.

Lance raised an eyebrow. “No more bites though, huh?”

Both of them shook their heads. “And now that it's getting brighter, we can all go out and work on getting the van ready to go.”

Responses of approval echoed throughout the room and people began to move to gather their things.

“Wait, Pidge.” One by one, people turned, curious what Shiro was trying to say. “I think that's the first time I've ever heard you swear.”

“Oh. Well.” She shrugged. “Desperate times call for dramatic language.”

Keith was the first to laugh.

The nurses at the hospital were shocked by the group's story when Keith was admitted, and did their best to rush him immediately to get care. Returning shortly, one of the nurses explained to them that, while there wasn't actually much in terms of external damage, the shoulder was definitely sprained and swollen. “I find it hard to believe that something bit your friend as badly as you say it did, but if it's true, either he's a very fast healer or he's got very thick skin.”

Everyone was very puzzled by this until Keith returned, wearing nothing more than a brace. “The bandages were bloody, but underneath it just looked like there was some deep scarring,” he said, unstrapping the brace briefly to show them. Lance sputtered an unintelligible reply as Keith strapped the shoulder back up. “I'm even more surprised than you. Since I was, you know, the one who got bitten.”

“Still, that's really weird.” Lance crossed his arms. “Glad you're better though.”

Shiro eyed Keith in confusion. He’d seen the wolf biting him. He’d seen the wound, and he’d seen what it had done to his friend. Unless, somehow, during the transformation that night…

His mind raced as he attempted to recall exactly what he saw happening the night before, but under the haze of tiredness in addition to paralyzing fear, he started to wonder if his memories were entirely reliable, but he shook his head to clear those ideas from his mind. He’d _seen_ Keith’s wound, and now it was gone, by whatever miracle. Whatever the cause, Keith was doing better, and that’s what mattered. It was time to go home.

* * *

 

After deciding they’d still like to spend time together and settling on Shiro’s family’s home (which had no wolves around it, he assured Hunk several times), the group did their best to let Keith rest for a while at first, Shiro letting him borrow his bed at his house— all this in spite of Keith’s objections that he would be perfectly fine resting later that night because he was _injured_ , not _sick_ , and besides he was doing _fine_ , which Shiro dismissed immediately. He knew Keith well enough to recognize the signs of exhaustion coming from his friend. In all honesty, Shiro told them, they could all use a bit of rest to make up for the exhaustion of the night before.

It didn’t take much convincing for everyone to follow Keith’s example, and Shiro’s house was quiet for several hours.

Shiro was the first one to wake from his spot on the couch in the living room. Immediately, he went upstairs to check on Keith, who was sprawled across Shiro’s double bed, face planted in his pillow and a sleepy smile on his face.

Deciding not to leave the room, Shiro instead sat in his desk chair and pulled his senior yearbook off the bookshelf. Flipping through pages of signatures, he smiled as he passed Lance and Hunk’s multiple messages (with arrows, correcting marks, and edits pointing to different each other’s messages, making it almost impossible to follow if you didn’t know what to expect) and Pidge’s initially calculated message that had devolved into a sappy mush of how much she’d miss him.

Eventually he got to Keith’s message and read through it carefully, following the words with his fingers. He remembered Keith asking to borrow it one hour and not returning it until the end of the day, and he remembered almost turning to read it then and there but being stopped by his blushing friend.

After Lance’s slip the night before— and God, what a wonderful slip it was— Shiro read the message with fresh eyes. _So I wasn’t just imagining it_. His soft smile broadened as he laughed, quietly, dumbfoundedly. _This was him trying to confess._

He thought back to how he had reread the message several times leading up to graduation, and how every time he started off confident that he’d approach Keith in secret the next day and absolutely sweep him off his feet. But somehow, every single time, by the time he saw Keith he became infinitely less sure that it was actually a confession and not just a proclamation of friendship, even if it was a _very_ strong friendship.

But if Lance knew, somehow, and Keith never tried to deny it, then..

Keith stirred on his bed and Shiro quickly closed the yearbook, sliding it into one of the desk drawers.

“Mmm.” Keith opened his eyes, then immediately recoiled from the light. “Bright.”

“Oh, yeah. Here, hold on.” Shiro reached up to close the blinds. “Better?”

Keith nodded and rolled over onto his back. “Much.” He scooted close to the wall, patting the bed next to him, and Shiro cautiously moved over to sit on the mattress. For a while that’s all they did, Shiro waiting for Keith to wake up more fully.

“You know, last night, when I was… when I was a wolf, or whatever that was,” Keith finally spoke, “I felt like there was something else that was taking control of my body. That’s why I wanted you to leave.”

Shiro nodded. “It was terrifying.”

“You’re telling me.” Keith’s gaze shifted between the glow-in the dark stars, decorations that still stuck on Shiro’s ceiling from back in eighth grade when he’d been obsessed with astronomy. “But you didn’t leave. I wanted you to go because I didn’t know if I would hurt you, but you wouldn’t.”

“I didn’t want to lose you.” Shiro shifted his position to lay next to Keith, their upper arms pressed against each other. “I was afraid of what would happen, and I didn’t want to risk you changing completely. I wanted to make sure I knew where you were.”

“I don’t really know all of what happened last night.” Shiro felt Keith moving and rolled over, propping his body up with his elbow so he could face him. His eyes were closed again. “There was definitely something else that was in control of my body. But I do remember being able to smell you.” He laughed silently, a single puff of air escaping his nose. “Which sounds weird, but… I think it kept me from completely losing it.”

Shiro nodded again, though he wasn’t entirely sure he understood.

Keith opened his eyes and turned his head to face Shiro. “I don’t know if it’ll happen again. But if it does, I don’t want it to happen without you there, because I never want to lose myself.”

“I’m glad I could help,” Shiro finally managed. The thought bounced around his head that he needed to say something more, that he needed to _speak up for fuck’s sake, Keith is leading in perfectly and you need to get off your goddamn ass and move_ — “Do you think you’ll have warning when it happens again next time?” _Damn it._

Keith shook his head.

“So how are you going to know when you need me there?”

Keith inhaled deeply and turned so he faced Shiro, his head supported by the pillow, fingers toying with the pillowcase. “I think I just want to be near you anyway.”

“Really?” Shiro felt his heart suddenly start pounding again. “I mean—”

He felt his words cut off by Keith closing the distance between them and found himself staring at Keith’s eyelashes, which flickered as the other boy’s mouth moved against his own.

Keith pulled away after a couple seconds, and he immediately blushed when he saw the shocked expression on Shiro’s face. “Shit, I’m sorry,” he said as he rolled back onto his back. “That wasn’t okay, I’m sorry, I’ll just—”

This time it was Shiro who shut Keith up. Rolling on top of him so he could lay against the bed without worrying about straining his shoulder, Shiro kissed him with all the love and desire he’d kept stored up for all the years he’d known that he wanted Keith. And now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Keith wanted _him_.

When they finally separated, Keith looked up at him and smiled, brushing Shiro’s cheek with his fingertips. “I guess it was okay.”

“More than okay.” Shiro smiled, leaning in to kiss him once again. They had a lot of catching up to do.

* * *

 

When everyone else finally woke, immensely more relaxed than they had been after their all-nighter, Shiro’s parents had arrived home and were more than happy to welcome everyone and invite them to dinner, even though they’d have to wait several hours. Shiro suggested that they try some board games in the meantime. “I remember there were some in the chest in the basement. I’m sure it’ll help pass the time.”

Raiding the board game closet in the loft ended up being far more of an event than they had anticipated, especially since it took almost twenty minutes to convince Pidge and Hunk to stop fawning over the antiques and get playing.

It was very easy to forget everything else while they played. In fact, about an hour into playing Monopoly, Shiro was so caught up in the hilarity of Lance calling out people's bad financial choices and Keith getting seriously committed to capturing the Boardwalk before Pidge. “You can't just get a monopoly of the last zone this early in the game!” he protested as she was shaking the dice.

“You just watch me,” she replied, laughing maniacally as she threw her roll. Keith raised one fist triumphantly as the die toppled over the edge of the board, just barely missing the number Pidge needed to land on the empty space. “Oh my _god_ , please let me have a reroll.”

“Hey, the board has ruled that you can't destroy us,” Hunk replied, raising his hands in mock defeat. “I’m not arguing with fate.”

Pidge gave up pleading when everyone else agreed with him, and the game continued. It was easy to forget what had happened the night before. Or at least, it was until Keith cheered just a little too enthusiastically about _finally_ beating Pidge to the Boardwalk, raising his fists and immediately lowering them and pulling his injured arm close to his side.

“Shit,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut. After a couple seconds, he opened one. “Jesus, guys. Don’t act like I’m dying or something.” the corner of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile. “At least I wrecked Pidge.”

Surprisingly, Hunk ended up carrying first place in the end, surging from last place after a handful of very helpful chance cards.

“Well, looks like my economics degree didn’t quite pay off.” Lance seemed almost offended that he had lost. “Maybe I should look into the art thing more seriously.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “You are literally exactly the same as you were in high school.”

When Keith laughed in response to this, Lance’s gaze turned to him. “Hey, we never got to hear about what you’ve been doing since graduation.”

Shiro tensed and glanced at Keith, expecting him to shrink away from the question, but instead, Keith looked fairly confident about his answer. “I think I’m going to try to transfer into school with you and Shiro. I’ve done an awful lot of staying at home, and I know my mom wants to see me move forward.” His gaze shifted toward Shiro. “Besides, it’ll be nice to have people around me I know.”

“Awh, all you guys get to go to school together? That’s no fair,” Hunk pouted. “Somebody make sure your dorms allow visitors, because I’m definitely going to be coming up.”

Pidge squirmed. “Think you could sneak me in too?”

“You _do_ know I live in an apartment, not in the dorms, right?” Shiro winked. “Though Keith gets first dibs if he wants to avoid living on campus.” Keith nodded immediately.

“You’d have to chill out on cuddling with everybody,” Lance teased, then stopped, worry flickering across his eyes, likely recalling Keith’s reaction the night before.

Keith rolled his eyes. “I’ll try to reign it in a bit.” He shot a glance at Shiro and smiled.

Lance looked surprised, but relief spread across his face. “In that case, it looks like I’ll see you at school.”

“Definitely.” Keith leaned into Shiro’s side, squeezing his now-boyfriend’s knee gently. “I’ll definitely see you there.”  
  



End file.
